Page 32 of The Desert Prince's Jewel
I scratch my eyebrow with my middle finger, then cough into my hand as I whisper, “Ranbir, it is.”
Ranbir howls with laughter and then helps me unload my home into his security van. Rohan and… Kunal, was it? Well, they help. I don’t lift a finger after grabbing a phone charger from the back. Then, I follow him back to the hotel.
Ranbir’s proposition to live together, if only temporarily, rocks me to my core. Finding out that he’s old money royalty stunned me into silence, but now, I feel breathless. At this rate, I might need a heart replacement as well as double lung surgery. Instead of veering into oncoming traffic, I stay the course.
For better or for worse, we’re going to stick together and figure this shit out.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RANBIR
What in the world was I thinking?I wonder, as I stand awkwardly behind Mateo, who’s hovering by the threshold of our hotel room as if he’s a vampire needing my permission to enter.Why did I invite him back to the hotel when I could’ve paid for a separate room? It’s not like I don’t have gold and jewels to sell, since Layla’s allowing us to stay as long as we work security.
I know why, yet I can’t face the reality of my intentions without, as Mateo called it, crashing out. With supreme effort, I forcibly ignore the swell of satisfaction at seeing Mateo so close to my temporary nest and step forward. With some effort, I push past him and walk inside. When he doesn’t immediately follow, clutching his black backpack to his chest, I tug at my hair with mounting dread. If Mateo needs permission, I’ll give it to him, so we don’t have to prolong the inevitable.
“Let’s go to bed,” I say, sighing with relief when I hear his footsteps pad the floor, before he closes and bolts the lock.
I nearly collapse onto the bed, startled by Mateo choking on what I assume is his spit.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, patting his back as his eyes water.
He throws his backpack to the ground and points at the bed, “What is this?”
I could slap him if I didn’t want to kiss him so bad. I’m tired, horny, and also baffled by his reaction to my bed. Sure, it has more pillows than one usually has, to stimulate a burrow, since we naga don’t make nests in the traditional sense. We used to use whatever abandoned structure was available to sleep in. But with modernization, our bedrooms are assembled, curated, much like an avian shifter’s nest.
“It’s my nest. My bed, I mean,” I begin, disappointed in myself for being hurt by his rejection of my display. “It’s a little messy right now. I suppose I should’ve prepared a better… Oh. Oh!”
As Mateo gawks at me, it finally hits me what he’s aghast at. It’s two of us and only one bed!
“Ah! I… Well… We can…” I ramble, averting my dilating eyes and flashing fangs, resisting the overwhelming urge to bob with excitement.
“Um, I’ll take the couch,” Mateo offers, averting his gaze as he gestures at the rock-hard sofa.
“You’d turn down a king-sized… Well, a human king-sized bed for the sofa? Weren’t you just sleeping in your car, Mateo?” I say, offended when I shouldn’t be. He’s being gracious, and I’m ready for another taste of him. Only one bed is a perfect excuse.
“Yeah, well, we can’t sleep together,” he says.
“Why not?” I ask, no longer hiding the signs of my affection, which unfortunately terrifies him as I face Mateo head-on.
“I…” he drifts off, falls silent, and I sigh, exasperated.
“Fine. I’ll take the sofa. You’re my guest,” I want to add that you’re my mate, but don’t. “It’s only right that I take the least desirable option.”
Mateo’s eyes snap to my feet, “Won’t your tail hurt? Or do you sleep transformed?”
I attempt a less intimidating smile. By Mateo’s ensuing frown, I guess I fail.
“I’ll use my legs. Don’t worry about it,” I say, but my lover does not seem pleased.
He makes that known by plopping on the sofa to remove his shoes and socks. He places them neatly beside his bare feet before rising and lying on the bed. It’s more like he stumbles, but I grant him grace at least in my head.
“Hmm, I mean, we did just… do it. Like an hour ago, we just had sex, didn’t we? I think we can manage sleeping in the same bed together tonight,” he says, but I don’t respond since I believe he’s trying to convince himself.
“Yeah! That makes sense. Can you shower first? Just so I can get my nerves straight?” he looks up at me with those big brown doe eyes, and damn it all, I crumble instantly.
“Yes,” I say and slink off to cool down.
I don’t take long, resisting the urge to stroke my shafts raw. It won’t help, seeing as it’ll make me want the real thing, to wrap Mateo up tight and sheath myself inside of him until I can’t bring myself to come anymore. When I get out, he races in, leaving me to transform and curl up shirtless in bed. I wonder if he’s simply nervous or drowning in desire like me, briefly. The suspiciously long time Mateo takes in the shower clues me in to his real feelings soon enough. He’s just as hard-pressed to hop into a bed after what we did as I am.
